Improvement in car-cogplings



PATENTED JULY 19, 1864. M. H. GARD & T. TRIPP.

CAR GOUPLING.

c fifi MW. o.

7 UNITED STATES .l-)a'rlnrr OFFICE.

M. H; CARD AND' THOMAS Terri), on CHICAGO,- iLLI-Nots,

IMPROVEMNTIN CAR-consumes.

Specification forming part riflette-rs Patent No. 43,569, dated July 19, 1864.

Ta, all wiolri, t mag-concern: v l

- Be it known thatv we, M H. CARD and` THoMAsTRIPP, of Chicago, in the coinfgy of Cook and State of lll`inois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in' AAnton'iatic Car-Couplings g andwe dohereby declare thattLe following is'afull, clear, land exact descriptit n thereof, reference-being had, to the acconr.

panying drawings and the lettersand tigures marked thereon', which vform part of this speciicaton.

lnsaid drawings, which are hereunto attached, Figurel represents a plan or top View of our invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a sectional View thereof at the line' in Fig; 2. i

-flne nature of our invention consists in a novel4 device for coupling cars together, consisting of a draft-link rigidly attached yto an adjustable hook, which is retained in position by the operation of a spring or springs suit-l ably arranged, said dev-icer being-*used upon' veach of the drawheads-attached to a car, and arranged in such a manner that, whenthe cars are run together, by the yielding ofsaid springs andthe reciprocal action ofthe hook and ldraftlink upon one draw head, with the saine de? vices-upon the other, the saidlinks pass over the corresponding hoolrs whcn thespring adjusts and contines the links upon the hooks, and the cars are thus automatically coupled together.

Our invention. further consists in so `attaching the said draft-links to the'hooks aforesaid upon each draw-head as vto be adjustable, sol

as to be turned back out of the way to enable the cars to bc coupled in the ordinary way by a link and a pin through each draw-head.`

To enable those 'skilled in the art to understand and construct and use our invention, we will p roceedl to describe the same with particularity,reterence being made to the aforesaid drawings.

A A represent the twol draw-heads, which are attached to the adjacent ends of the cars to be coupled together in any suitable' man# ner. Each of said draw-heads is provided with alongitudinal slot extending from the abutting ends thereof back to a sufficient distance to serve the purpose for which it isdesigned,

which slot (marked s in the drawings) opens upon one side of the draw-'heads to allowlthe v hook Cto move laterally in said slot.

yBB represent' 'the two dra't'tlin'ks, one bef ing attached to each ofthe hooks'O by means of the pins c e, or in any other suitable manner. These links are constrn cted subsiantialiyv in the form ot' aclevis, the arms thereof being` att-ached to the loiks (l by means of the pins c c, so that said links can be swung around, as shown bythe rcd'lines in Fig. 1.

d d represent short pins or projections at tached to the links B, as shown,which rest in holes in G, so th'at said` links arc rigidlyfconnected to the'hooks, excepttl1 links be raised -to'fdetach the pin'd and allow'th'e' link' to be' turned back when in use. The only object of having said links adjustable is to enable this coupling to be used with the ordinary coupling, and when such adjustability is not (le-- sired the links and hooks may be manufactured of a single piece of metal.

C C represent the hookshereinbefore mentioned, which are pivoted by a strong'bolt at the rear end at a@ The said hooks, turning upon said point a, are readily xnoyed out from` said slots, thereby drawing in the point of said hooks within the recess in the ends ofthe draw-heads, It will beobserved that the configuration of the ends ot' said hooks is such4 as will admit' theordinary coupling-'link to be used .by fastening the -sanne with pins through thc holes marked e c. G in Fig. 3 i's a sec? tion of that part of U towhich the 'link is fattached., Y

.D l) represent a strong band or clasp pass` ing around the back of said hooks, as shown. Eachend Aof said clasp," passing through the draw heads and through spiral springs F, arranged in cylindrical chambers constructed therein, is attached to the circular disks or plates E, which are ofthe same size.. as the said lcylindrical chainbers, and slide freely within the saine. The said springs F rest at one endupon said 'disks E and at-tne other end. against shoulders in said chamber, so that the action of thesprings will by pressing upon Said disks, bring the hooks back to place after being sprung, as hereinafter described.

The links B maybe of any desired width betwecnihe arms thereof, so as to enable cars o.c different heights to be coupled together by our improved mode, and at the same time have the draft come in ahorizon tal line,thus avoid- "11 g. the objections incident to an obliquedraft, -which occurs whenever cars ot'diiter'ent heights are coupled together in the ordinary Way.'

AS the ears approach each other, the links B B being rigidly attached tothe hooks U C, the frontends thereof strike against the'curved or beveled ends of the draw-heads and slide out upon the curved exterior surface of the hooks, the' 'effect of the reciprocal and mutaally-compensatingpressure being to cause each hook to yield inward and each link to Yield outward until the links pass over the hooks and the', coupling is effected bythe aforesaid springs, which throw the point of the hooks outward and draw the links inwardv u *on them, thus holding and firmly coupling the cars together automatically. The loops fb are attached to said hooks iu order that a chain may be fastened thereunto and wound around a rod provided with a wheel at the upper end, arranged at each end of the carin the manner in which the ordinary brakcrod is arranged, and thus the hooks maj, be drawn ,slotted draw-head A with the hook C, provided with the link B and thev spring F, as and for the purposes speciled and set forth.

2. Thereciprocally-arranged hooks C C and links B B, controlled and operated by a springor springs, substantially as and t'or the purposes specified.

rlhe adjustable link B, in combination with the hook C, asand for the purposes set forth. 4. Constructing the head of the hook of such t configuration that the vordinary coupling link may be used, as herein described and shown.

M. H. CARD. TH'OS. TRIPP.

Witnesses d l W. E. MARKS, L.- L. (Bonomi. 

